Akshay Kumar counters Aamir Khan on OTT window, calls six months 'too long'

A fundamental disagreement has emerged between two of Bollywood’s most prominent stars, Aamir Khan and Akshay Kumar, regarding the optimal window between a film's theatrical release and its premiere on OTT platforms. Kumar has openly disagreed with Khan's stance, arguing that a three-month interval is more reasonable and fair for all parties involved in the industry, and he has repeatedly called for a lengthier six-month break to help the faltering film business.

Akshay Kumar advocates for a three-month window

Streaming services have made substantial financial investments, and Kumar has urged for a shorter duration in an interview with ABP Live. He stated, "According to me, a three-month gap is okay. Six months is too long because, at the end of the day, the OTT platform is paying you for the digital rights. They also need to benefit from the deal."

Kumar continued by urging producers to be more responsible for their films and addressing the larger narrative that blames streaming content accessibility for box office woes. He remarked, "When it comes to digital rights sales, producers happily take money from the OTT platform. But when we want to, we also conveniently say our films aren’t working because of OTT. We don’t consider that maybe we’re not making the right films."

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Aamir Khan's stance and current industry standard

In the middle of the current industry standard—a theatrical-to-digital paradigm that takes eight weeks (about two months)—the debate re-emerges. The goal to preserve the conventional cinematic experience and boost audience footfall has motivated Khan's continuous advocacy for a minimum six-month exclusion period. In 2024, his film, Laapataa Ladies by Kiran Rao, had a disappointing box office performance but exploded in popularity on Netflix, solidifying his resolve.

Kumar, who is heavily involved in the digital content consumption trend, spoke about how he relies on these platforms for both personal and professional reasons. He shared, "I don’t have any other work than making movies. Since I’m not educated, I do only movies. So, I get a lot of time to watch OTT."

Role of luck and hard work in stardom

Chance and hard effort, the actor pondered, both play a part in an artist's career. Acknowledging the industry’s often capricious nature, Kumar added, "Thirty percent is hard work, which should feel like you’ve done 100% hard work, but you also need that 70% luck to make it. When I enter a studio, I often see a better-looking struggler, a better dancer, and someone who does better action than me, but he hasn’t gotten a chance yet."

The need for a sustainable compromise between exhibitors' and streaming platforms' revenue models is becoming more apparent, and Kumar's remarks reflect this trend. The industry must acknowledge that the quality of the content ultimately drives audience responses.

FAQs:

Q: What is the debate over the theatrical-to-OTT window?

A: The debate centers on the ideal time gap between a film's initial theatrical release and its subsequent premiere on an OTT platform like Netflix or Prime Video. Industry stakeholders, especially producers and actors, disagree on whether the gap should be longer (to protect cinema business) or shorter (to benefit OTT investors).

Q: What is Aamir Khan's stance on the theatrical-to-OTT window?

A: Aamir Khan advocates for a minimum six-month gap between a film's release in theaters and its OTT premiere. He believes a longer window is necessary to protect the theatrical business and prevent dwindling footfalls in cinemas, a view he reportedly doubled down on after his production, Laapataa Ladies, underperformed theatrically.

Q: What is Akshay Kumar's view on the ideal OTT release gap?

A: Akshay Kumar believes a three-month gap is sufficient and more practical. He disagrees with Aamir Khan's six-month proposal, arguing that a shorter window is fairer to the OTT platforms which invest heavily in digital rights and also need to benefit from the deal.